Vodafone will pay a £2 billion special dividend next year after its patience in hanging on to a minority stake in America’s biggest mobile network paid off.

The British company, which owns a 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless, will receive £2.8 billion in dividend payments after Verizon Communications, the majority owner, agreed at a board meeting to resume payouts to the parent companies.

The deal is worth 4p for every Vodafone share and the confirmation that dividend payments will resume in January for the first time in seven years is likely to send the share price soaring.